*** Contains some spoilers *** This is a story of the volcano that sits underneath Yellowstone Park. Initially I thought it would be rather boring but by about a quarter way through I was sitting on the seat of my pants watching it with intense intrigue. Why was it intriguing, you ask? Because it put a human face on what could be a major natural disaster.
The general feel of the approach of the makers reminded me very much of the aftermath reporting when the tsunami hit the Indian Ocean basin. It shows the pros and cons of the process of reasoning that scientists need work through to work out what may be happening: the job of predicting whether, when and where a disaster may happen. It puts into perspective that the job of those scientists is never easy. The style of the docu-drama (that's how I would describe it) is 50% drama, 50% fiction (afterall we're not in a volcanic winter!!!) and 100% science.
If you're a science bud (like I am), this is top class viewing material. Put your feet up, watch the programme, and then hope that the eruption is going to happen at least 1,000 years or more from now. I give this 10 out 10 for sheer quality and I hope the BBC do a docu-drama next to show what life really be like for the first Martian settlers. ;-))
The general feel of the approach of the makers reminded me very much of the aftermath reporting when the tsunami hit the Indian Ocean basin. It shows the pros and cons of the process of reasoning that scientists need work through to work out what may be happening: the job of predicting whether, when and where a disaster may happen. It puts into perspective that the job of those scientists is never easy. The style of the docu-drama (that's how I would describe it) is 50% drama, 50% fiction (afterall we're not in a volcanic winter!!!) and 100% science.
If you're a science bud (like I am), this is top class viewing material. Put your feet up, watch the programme, and then hope that the eruption is going to happen at least 1,000 years or more from now. I give this 10 out 10 for sheer quality and I hope the BBC do a docu-drama next to show what life really be like for the first Martian settlers. ;-))